DIY Tutorials

Fall is upon us folks!! You know what that means — women around the world are trading in their cold drinks for pumpkin spice and their sundresses for leggings. It’s just become like a fact of life now. Haha. As someone who is in love with wide necklines and slouchy sweaters, I decided to add a slew of comfy tops to my wardrobe before the leaves finished changing colors. After looking through all my fall favorites and created this pattern as a combination of all the most comfortable attributes. I’m pretty sure I hit a home run here and I’m so excited to share. 🙂

This slouchy shirt is perfect for pairing for leggings and boots and even layered with a vest because they’re meant to be made from buttery soft knit fabrics. With options to lengthen the shirt, add a pocket, create a slimmer fit and even use contrasting fabrics and patterns, it’s easy to get carried away making a dozen or two of these breezy beauties. I even used a few pieces of old clothing to upcycle into new shirts.

Materials Needed to make your own slouchy shirt:

*Sergers are best for sewing clothing but you can create this shirt using a standard sewing machine with a straight and zig zag stitch. I prefer to assemble first with my standard machine and then reinforce seams with my serger later.*
This pattern and full step by step tutorial are now available in my shop. 🙂 Check it out HERE.

You know what I love *maybe* even more than finally catching a hot shower without any kids in the bathroom? Recipes that are foolproof, fast, and decently healthy. As a busy mom of two girls and running a business from home, I’m constantly running low on energy and sometimes end up grabbing a super bad-for-me snack , just because it’s fast and I don’t have to actually cook it. But, with about 5 minutes of my time and no measuring utensils, I can whip up a batch of these yummy, guilty-tasting but pretty healthy for you no-bake energy bites.

When I said put away your measuring utensils I really wasn’t kidding. The only rule to this recipe is to balance your wet and dry ingredients so that they can form into balls. Every time I make them I use slightly different ingredients depending on what I have on hand and every time they still satisfy.

What ingredients would you put in your no bake energy bites?

When I discovered how ridiculously easy it is to make your own vanilla extract I decided right then and there that I would never buy it from the store again. With only two ingredients and about 45 seconds of your time, you too can have delicious vanilla extract catered to your baking and cooking needs. 😉

DIY Vanilla Extract

All you will need is vanilla beans, vodka, and a container to put it in that has an airtight seal. I actually picked up my containers at a local craft store. Really, for things like extracts or essential oils you should use the amber glass bottles. The darker bottles help extend the shelf life of the extracts by keeping out the sunlight. However, I like the idea of being able to see all my pretty extracts, especially when I branch into making orange or raspberry or something that has a pretty color of its own .

Just put the vanilla beans in your container and fill with vodka, leaving a half an inch or so from the top. Now put it somewhere out of this sunlight where it can age. My husband used some that I made after it only aged for like 2 weeks he said it was awesome. The longer that you let it age, the stronger that it will get and as you use some you can top it off with vodka to kinda have an ongoing source.

The darker of these two was from the original two I made for this tutorial and is six weeks old. The lighter was made three weeks ago after we flew through the first one with lots of baking.

What extracts would you try making?

I’m super excited to be contributing to Homespun Aesthetic for a DIY Tutorial on how to make your own Orange Honey Lotion Bars! These things are so amazing for every member of your family, and they are super easy to make on your own. Most of the ingredients can be found at your local health food store, and are relatively inexpensive. The best part is that these are completely natural and free of chemicals and parabens and preservatives – what more could you ask for?

Where/how can you use these solid lotion bars? Just about anywhere and for anyone! Some of my favorite uses:

– Keep a bar next to the kitchen sink to remoisturize after washing dishes.

– Keep a bar in the diaper bag to use as diaper cream. Bonus: this is cloth diaper safe!